The Pollinator Connection

Pollinators need all the help they can get, and growing Indiana native plants speaks directly to the needs of those that are cruising locally. Which will you attract to your garden?

Bees, butterflies/moths, flies, hummingbirds, and wasps all play a role in fertilizing our native plants, and in turn gather the pollen and nourishment they need to survive.

To help you integrate pollinators into your garden plans, we’ve created an Excel spreadsheet you can download and play with. We list 200 Indiana native plants, including trees, shrubs, vines, grasses (wind-pollinated), and wildflowers. You can sort the entries by a specific pollinator, or sort by plant name, height, flower color, period of bloom, or light and moisture requirements.

We include notes on which plants are hosts for specific butterflies and moths, and links to photos and more detailed plant information.

Eventually we will turn this spreadsheet into a searchable database where you can filter by any number of characteristics. In the meantime, have fun with all the information we’ve provided.

 

Download the Pollinator Plant Finder

 

Tips for Working with the Spreadsheet

  1. Save the spreadsheet to a handy location on your computer.
  2. Open the file and click on the top lefthand corner to select the entire content.
  3. In the tool bar at the top, select Sort & Filter, then select Custom Sort.
  4. In the Custom Sort dialog box, click “My data has headers” at the right.
  5. In the “Sort by” field, use the drop-down menu to select the column heading of primary interest (e.g., Habit). Note that some column heads are for structure only and will not yield values (e.g., Light, Bloom).
  6. To include other characteristics in the sort, click Add Level at the top left. For example, if you’re sorting on Habit, you may also be interested in which plants will bloom in the spring, so select Spring from the second drop-down menu. Under each Habit category, those blooming in the spring will appear first.
  7. When you have selected all the characteristics you want to sort by, click OK.

Our Pollinator Experts

The spreadsheet was a team effort by these researchers:

  • Ellen Jacquart, The Nature Conservancy of Indiana
  • Robert Jean, Environmental Solutions and Innovations
  • Melinda M. Appold, Purdue Horticulture and Landscape Architecture
  • David Gorden, Mark M. Holeman, Inc.
  • Heather Reynolds, Indiana University Department of Biology, Stranger’s Hill Organics
  • Natalie Marinova, Eco Logic LLC

We welcome your feedback at webmaster@indiananativeplants.org.

Become a Pollinator Observer for a Nativar Research Study

Chicago Botanic Garden is one of four botanic gardens across the US mounting a citizen science project to determine whether “nativars”—cultivated varieties of native plants—are as attractive to pollinators as the true species. Individual gardeners are encouraged to participate.  Learn more

Host Plants for Pollinators

Check out the National Wildlife Federation’s new listing of native plant hosts for pollinators. From the NWF website: “The caterpillars of butterflies and moths feed on the leaves of native plants. Without host plants, these important and beautiful insects cannot complete their lifecycle and their populations decline. Host plants with high butterfly and moth associations play a direct role in supporting bird populations.”